KUPINIK

The Last Capital of the Serbian Despots

The remains of the medieval town of Kupinik are located in the southernmost part of the Srem region, near the village of Kupinovo, within the Special Nature Reserve “Obedska Bara.” It is believed to have been built at the end of the 13th or the first half of the 14th century as a military border fortification of the Hungarian king. Its role was to control one of the Sava River’s most important crossings. In the early 14th century, it fell under Serbian control. After the fall of Smederevo, Kupinik became the next residence and capital of the Serbian despots, who defended the southern part of Hungary from the Ottomans with their army and Shaykashs. For 70 years, until its ultimate destruction by the Ottomans in 1521, this town was a centre where nobility, clergy, and common people gathered, preserving Serbian identity and tradition. Nowadays, the Kupinik Fortress is one of the few surviving medieval fortification complexes in Srem and is categorised as an immovable cultural property of great importance.

The medieval town of Kupinik was built on the foundation of an older, late-antique fortress. Discovered traces of Celts, as well as stone tools, indicate that the village of Kupinovo has been continuously inhabited since the Neolithic period. In historical records, it was mentioned for the first time in two charters of the Hungarian King Sigismund of Luxemburg from 1387 and 1388 as the Hungarian royal fortification Kelpen (Kölpen, Kelpen, Kewlpen, Kewlpewn). In the 15th century, under the name Chupenich, Kupinik appeared on the map of the Balkan Peninsula by Francesco Roselli.

ABOVE: Map of the site

Kupinik Fortress in Kupinovo

ABOVE: Kupinik Fortress,  located near Obedska Bara and the village of Kupinovo in Srem

After the battle of Angora in 1402, Kupinik was granted to Despot Stefan Lazarević, who delegated its management to his vassal, Count Palatine Radič Postupović. During this period, the fortification was expanded and modernised, becoming one of the centres of the prominent „Order of the Dragon,” an alliance formed by Christian rulers to combat the Ottomans. After the despot’s death in 1427, the Branković family took over and fortified it. After the first fall of Smederevo in 1439, Despot Đurađ Branković frequently resided there between 1451 and 1455. He built a court church dedicated to St. Luca near the fortress. According to some sources, he died in Kupinik from the wounds sustained in the battle with members of the Hunyadi family. After Đurađ’s death, Kupinik likely returned briefly to the possession of the Hungarian king, while the mythical falcon Turul, the heraldic symbol of the Arpad dynasty, replaced the Dragon Order’s banners on its keep.

Kupinik Fortress in Kupinovo
Kupinik Fortress in Kupinovo

ABOVE LEFT: The town has an irregular square layout with protruding corner towers

ABOVE RIGHT: The most preserved of the entire fortress is the northeastern wall, which once featured an entrance gate with a drawbridge

After Smederevo finally fell to Ottoman authority in 1459, Kupinik became the Serbian despots’ last refuge and capital. The Ottomans first burnt it in 1462, along with Sremska Mitrovica, but they were defeated near Futog by Shaykashs, the Serbian royal river flotilla. Upon the arrival of Vuk Grgurević in Hungary in 1464/1465, King Mathias Corvinus granted him estates and fortified towns, including Kupinik. Although Vuk also resided in Slankamen, it was from Kupinik that he launched storming attacks against the Ottomans across the Sava River, penetrating deep into Serbia. He enabled Serbian people to flee safely to the liberated Srem, so for his heroism, he was celebrated in numerous songs under the name “Zmaj Ognjeni Vuk.”

Kupinik Fortress in Kupinovo

ABOVE: The massive ramparts were built from broken stone and faced with brick

Later, other members of the Srem branch of the Branković family, including Đorđe (Maxim) and Jovan Branković, along with their mother Angelina, were also mentioned as the owners of Kupinik. This fortress was likely their seat, judging by the number of letters and charters issued from it. The Obed Monastery, near Kupinik, also dates from that period. In 1496, it was recorded as a property that Despot Jovan Branković granted to the monastery of Krušedol. The last rulers of the town were Jovan’s widow, Jelena, from the Serbian Jakšić family, and her son from the second marriage, Stefan Berislavić.

After conquering Belgrade in 1521, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent destroyed and burnt Kupinik. A few years later, following the capture of Srem in 1526, the Ottomans finally brought the town under their rule. With the Ottoman advance into Panonija, Kupinik lost its significance as a frontier stronghold and was left to the ravages of time. Interestingly, the bricks and stones from Kupinik were later used to rebuild the Belgrade Fortress.

Kupinik

ABOVE: Marshland surrounded Kupinik Fortress on all sides, classifying it as a “water town”

Kupinik represents one of the best-preserved medieval fortification complexes of Vojvodina. The fortress had an excellent strategic and defensive position, with its high towers offering a sweeping view of Serbia and Srem. Built on a low elevation in the southeastern branch of the Obedska Bara riverbed, a marshland surrounded it from all sides. That provided better defence than constructing it directly on the Sava River’s bank, about a kilometre away.

Kupinik belonged to the so-called “water towns” because the water encircled it from all sides. It was accessible only by a drawbridge over a moat approximately 3 meters deep and up to 17 meters wide on the entrance side. Featuring protruding towers of different profiles (hexagonal, octagonal, and circular) on its corners, the town has an irregular quadrangular layout spanning 57 by 57 meters. The entrance was through the fifth tower, located in the middle of the northeastern wall. Measuring approximately eight meters high, the best-preserved octagonal tower now stands at only a third of its original height. The towers were connected by massive walls of hard bricks with an infill of stone and broken bricks, which allowed them to absorb cannon fire. Residential buildings existed within the town, although no detailed data about them is available. There was a civilian settlement around the fort, as evidenced by numerous incidental finds.

Kupinik Fortress in Kupinovo
Kupinik Fortress in Kupinovo

ABOVE LEFT: From the former high town ramparts, it was easy to monitor territory across the Sava River, where today the „Nikola Tesla“ Thermal Power Plant stands near Obrenovac

ABOVE RIGHT: A detail of one of the towers

It is believed that the fortress went through two stages of construction. Initially, it had a simple design suited for combat with cold weapons. Later, the threat from the Ottomans prompted the modernisation and better fortification of the fortress to withstand artillery warfare. During this stage, certain elements and sections were modified, and cannon towers and a well-secured gate with a drawbridge were added. Of the entire fortification, the foundations of the entrance and three corner towers, as well as the walls connecting them, have been preserved to this day. The ongoing archaeological explorations at Kupinik will hopefully provide more details about the town.

Obedska Bara

ABOVE: Arial view of the “Obedska Bara” Special Nature Reserve

Near the fortress stands the Church of St. Luke, also known as the Despotic Church, named in memory of its founder, Despot Đurađ Branković. Initially, it housed the relics of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, which Despot Đurađ repurchased from the Ottoman ruler of Epirus in 1453. It served as the court church and was connected to the fortress by a wooden walkway on pillars and a bridge. Many researchers consider it the oldest Serbian Orthodox Church building in the regions north of the Sava and Danube rivers. The Obed Monastery, commonly known as the Church of Mother Angelina, is located in the vicinity of the village of Kupinik.

List of References

Translation: Marija Stamenković

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